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Since we moved to Texas, I’ve been feeling as if I need to up my ante when it comes to sauce recipes. We’ve been busy familiarizing ourselves with our community and the local businesses, many of which happen to be taco restaurants. I think in a 5-mile radius of our home there is one on every other corner (okay, I may be exaggerating a bit..but not much!). The pickiest taste-buds this side of Jupiter live in my home though so I need to do a bit of improvising. I’d love to make dishes that incorporate a sauce that has a ‘Tex-Mex’ flavor, but my family hears ‘Tex-Mex’ and runs for cover.
Then I found a great recipe in a magazine for a Chicken Taco Casserole – but I KNEW I could not prepare it with the given ingredients. I have a lot of practice adapting recipes and figured with some ingredient substitutions and omissions, I could fool my family into thinking this wasn’t a Tex-Mex dish at all.
Making one of my frequent weekly stops at Walmart for a few items, I navigated down the aisle with the salad dressings. I knew for a bit of a twist on flavor, Kraft Pourables Ranch Dressing would pass muster with my crew.
And I saw these double packs, with FREE Real Bacon pieces. Who could pass that up because #FoodDeservesDelicious and ranch dressing + bacon is delicious!
The new Kraft Pourables have been reinvented with a new, better taste! The Classic Ranch is now creamier, with more buttermilk and savory herbs. The Kraft Zesty Italian now has even more herbs and spices! I am looking forward to using the Zesty Italian in my Ravioli and Zucchini Cheese Bake recipe.
If you’re looking for a new spin on a taco casserole here’s my recipe. It still gives you that taco flavor but in a milder dose and with all the cheesy goodness, kids love it. Plus it’s quick and easy to make for a busy school night.
Cheesy Chicken Taco Casserole
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
4 cups diced cooked chicken breast
1 can condensed cream of cheese soup
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup Kraft Pourables Classic Ranch Dressing
1 can Navy Beans, drained
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
5 cups coarsely crushed tortilla chips
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
Stir the chicken, soups, Ranch Dressing, beans and taco seasoning in a large mixing bowl.
Spread half the mixture into the baking pan. Top with 3 cups of the crushed tortilla chips and 1 cup of shredded cheese. Layer with the remaining chicken mixture and top that with the remaining 2 cups of tortilla chips.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese and return to oven. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown.
Look at that cheesy goodness! It’s like nachos to the 10th power!
And even with the additional ingredients and the baking, you can still see the savory herbs from the Kraft Pourables Classic Ranch Dressing.
Plus the buttermilk adds extra creaminess to the sauce recipe and a cool twist to complement the spicy taco seasoning.
How do you use Kraft Pourables Salad Dressing in your meals?
Tammy Litke is a Dallas blogger, blogging since 2008. She loves to watch movies, play video games, spend time in the kitchen, and travel. Between recipes and reviews you’ll find many helpful and some just plain funny posts on her blog. Welcome, pull up a chair and stay for a while!
That looks tasty. I love Kraft products. They are full of flavor and you can do almost everything with them.
This looks really good. I love the spin you've given this casserole. You showed me some Kraft products that I haven't seen in my local stores. Now I'm going on another grocery store scavenger hunt. 😉
Ranch makes everything better. Ranch and bacon. I hope that your family let the Tex-Mex hints slide and enjoyed the cheesy goodness you made!
It sounds great, and easy, so I'll try it out. We've been loving casseroles lately!
Oh wow! That looks amazing! I could eat it every day. If only my kids would eat it..
What a great way to make a taco dish more appealing to picky eating kids! Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe #client
Ooh this looks great Tammy! And I agree bacon is delicious.
Wow, that looks so cheesy good! I know it's a dish my son would eat, too!
I love any recipe that has cheese in it frankly. And this looks like cheesy goodness for sure.
Yum, those are my kind of nachos!
I love all the creaminess that the dressing gives it. This is a goodie!
Wow, that sounds and looks beyond amazing!
This casserole looks really tasty. I'll have to make it soon.
This looks like some cheesy goodness! I'll definitely be making this soon!
This looks like a tasty dinner idea! I love casseroles, and this one looks like a crowd pleaser!
That is something that would really go over big in my house. It sounds awesome.
That does look extremely easy to make. I love casseroles and I think this is something my kids would enjoy too.
That looks fantastic. I pinned it and will make it sometime soon. Yum.
I'm always looking for unique and delicious meals! How brilliant! I think this would be a dish my entire family would fall in love with!
This is something the whole family would enjoy. It's such a neat use of dressing.
I love ranch dressing so I am betting I would love this casserole. It looks really good. 😉
That sounds and looks delicious. Thank you for this fantastic recipe!
I had to laugh at your comment of all the restaurants – yes, there's like 4 on every corner! LOL Great easy recipe. I've pinned it for the future! Great for weekday dinner!
Yum, I needed plans for dinner tonight and I think I may give this recipe a try!
Oh my son would love that…lots of cheese is a sure way to get him to eat a meal. Looks Yummy!!
Your family's dining preferences sound like my father. When I invite him over for dinner, he asks what we are having. If I say anything within the Mexican food category, he'll decline my invitation. Ugh! I'm sure he'd be happy to gobble up your Chicken Taco Casserole (I'd just have to leave out the word "taco" when I describe it).
This casserole would definitely be a hit with my entire family. I bet the crushed tortilla chips give it a great crunch!
I'm not usually a ranch fan, but my kids are and they'd love this!
Ok that looks so good and so easy to make!
Oh my goodness, this looks delicious! I’m definitely making this! thanks for sharing! A healthier option for a family favorite.